The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-01-26
DRESS REFORM
A Lecturer Presents Herself Ms q
Model OF Her WI Advice.

There was not a stylish new bonnet
in the audience that assembled at the
Universalist Church last evening to hear
Mrs. Jenness Miller lecture on dress
reform. There were staid married
women, elderly women and some young
women while here and there was II
man. 1t was II good audience to ak
to. MS IL glance at the kindly, intelli-
gent faces would show, but there did
not seem to be present any OF That class
from which coverts might be expected.
The young lady with the a~ttenuated
waist. high heels and other attractive
frivolities was not there and against the
follies of this class the lecturers wit
and sarcasm were mostly directed. II
made Il pretty picture as she sat upon
the platform while Rev. MIR. Kent
briefly said n few words of introduce
ton, and the most critical of her sex
would acknowledge her beauty, what
ever they might think OF the dress.
The ladies present were, OF course, IN
terested in the dress. which represented
one of the types in the proposed dress
reform. 1t was in point of style what
is known as a princess dress, with the
sides and back of dark blue velvet and
the front q soft mass Of white CASH
mere. with plenty Of Irish lace. Every
body said, What n lovely dress!" and
then waited with interest to hear what
the owner Of the dress had to say.
She began to talk, and she talked
nuently and well for about an hour,
showing a familiarity with her subject
and a deep conviction in the truth OF
what she was saying. II was not an
illustrated lecture, as some might nave
supposed from the fact that the lady
has n variety of dresses made for differ
emit occasions. and so the gentlemen
present were not made uncomfortable.
She spoke of the evils of the present
STYLE of dress and the injurious effect
upon health and life, and yet. while all
women readily acknowledge all this.
said they have not the power TO free
themselves from the bondage OF fash
ions which emanate from unknown ana
irresponsible sources. She ridiculed
the mock modesty which allowed WON
en- to go into public places with the up
per portion of their body practically
nude, vet would shrink from any ex-
posure of the lower limbs. These por-
lions of the anatomy, the lecturer urg-
ed, differed, i'm no material respect, IRON
that of men, and there was no reason
why women could not have as much
freedom and ease in their movements
rs the opposite sex. For street wear,
she advocated short dresses, She con-
demned corsets and high heels, and her
description Of the suffering entailed
upon women by the stylish modes OF
dress. she said. could be verified in the
faces and movements OF the fashlona-
bly dressed women n meets. Inc
corset, of course, was the main subject
for attack. She said that by a merci-
full arrangement the region OF the waist
had BEEN made strong and capable OF
enduring severe treatment, and THIS ac-
counted for the existence OF women al
tor so many years of this style OF dress.
II men were Obliged to dress us women
do thew would be dead in a short time,
and while the speaker did not advocate
murder. vet she thought it would be
RIGHT to make some man an awful ex-
ample for the good effect upon the
minds of women. She said that IN al.
yocating a reform in dress she wanted
to begin with the lady OF fashion, for 1t
was the STYLE of dress worn by such n
woman that was initiated by the ser
wants and others.
Mrs. Toplofty let out her corsets ana
had a large waist. then large waists be-
came the STYLE, and so of light sleeves
and other denominations. The sickly,
helpless, del cate women. whose con-
dition was the result of the fashionable
atyle of dressing, in her opinion were
not desirable as wives, were unit for
any useful duty. aud enta led misery
upon their children and unhappiness
| upon Their husbands. The remedy for
all this lay in the hands of the women.
They were slaves to a power which had
no legitimate right TO rule. The dress
makers who made money from the
change IN the style were principally re-
sponsible for what is known as fash
ionable dress. and why civil zed women
should ED blind, unquestioning sub.
mission TO such an authority was indeed
a marvel. The speaker was verv Sc
we're upon the tollies and vanities oil
women. but paused in the midst Of her
i~nvective long enough to remark 10 the
men present that il her subject hap
pencil to be men she could say equally
severe things. However, she did not
saw them. and the men e~nioved the lee
ture aud remarked to their wives on tho
wav home that Mrs. Miller expressed
their ideas exactly. After the lecture
Mrs. M Her was surrounded by q bevy